‘So lucky.’ Kennewick man thanks the city employees who saved his life on a sidewalk
Doctors and nurses continually tell Bill Granfield he was a lucky man after his massive heart attack.
The recently retired 71-year-old union organizer didn’t have any sign of what was going to happen April 21.
He left for his daily morning jog and planned to be back in time to help his grandchildren get ready for class. He was by himself when he started to climb the hill on 19th Avenue near Garfield Street about 7:30 a.m.
“I saw the sidewalk coming up toward me, I tried to put out my hands to catch myself and lost consciousness before hitting the ground,” Granfield told firefighters at Station 1 earlier this week.
A passing Kennewick public works employee, Cameron “Cam” Magelsen, saw him collapse and immediately pulled over.
He called Kennewick firefighters as he started performing CPR. Firefighters from stations 1 and 4 responded.
Magelsen’s quick response made a significant difference, Battalion Chief Tim Harkins told the Herald.
As other firefighters arrived, they took over helping revive Granfield. Firefighter Earl Anema said they had to use a defibrillator twice to get his heart beating correctly.
The next thing Granfield remembers is waking up to seeing three people looking down at him and talking. He couldn’t understand the medical jargon, but their manner filled him with confidence.
“In fact, I did not feel worry or panic about my condition at any time because it seemed like everything possible was being done,” he said.
He asked for a firefighter to call his wife, Maria, and one reached her immediately.
Recovering
She remembers getting that phone call and being scared. She rushed to the hospital, and went with him to Spokane.
He received a triple bypass at Sacred Heart Medical Center.
“The surgeons in Spokane and the doctors and all of them, they were just amazed. They said, ‘Whoever helped you did a great job. You’re so lucky,’” Maria Granfield said.
He’s now back on his feet and going for morning walks. Roughly a month after the surgery, the couple returned to fire Station 1 last week meet with some of the firefighters who were responsible for saving his life.
They brought their grandchildren and nine envelopes, each with a gift card from the Sports Page Bar & Grill. They wanted to bring some recognition to the people who helped save Bill’s life.
“When I have an opportunity to meet a family like this ... it’s so special,” said Fire Chief Chad Michael. “Bill has been given some additional time to spend with his family, his grandkids.”
Magelsen’s quick reaction was instrumental to having such a positive outcome, Michael said. Starting CPR bought them time to get to the scene.
Michael also was glad to hear about the professional way the firefighters handled the situation.
“It’s awesome to see such a great outcome,” he said.